


The storks and the cabbages

by hummingrightalong, itslifethatscaresmetodeath



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, jaaron - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 19:26:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18125465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummingrightalong/pseuds/hummingrightalong, https://archiveofourown.org/users/itslifethatscaresmetodeath/pseuds/itslifethatscaresmetodeath
Summary: Paul and Aaron try to explain to Gracie where babies come from when you have two daddies





	1. Chapter 1

“Who the fuck would’ve had this talk with me Aaron? And she’s like 4, I knew this would happen. I knew it…”

Aaron is hanging his head but due to their height difference, it only makes it easier for Paul to look him in the eye while scolding him. He’s been adamant about being up front with Gracie when she asked about babies and taken Maggie’s advice (a thing one should do with caution because there’s a reason she and Paul are such good friends, both of them being the shit stirrers they are). She told him ‘one of the cows is about to give birth…’

So about ten minutes in, they both get grossed out. Aaron covered her eyes for another five before rushing her outside. Gracie would remain unscarred and uninformed. The later was less than ideal for her. For the rest of their lives Jesus tells the story of how Aaron put their child under his arm like a football and ran like hell when they wrapped a rope around the calf’s legs. 

Which left Paul to scramble for an explanation. He wasn’t going into the sex talk with a four year old which left him with no other choice. He’d have to get creative.

“Ok, so they grow up in a cabbage patch. When they’re ripe, once in a while a teeny, tiny baby forms underneath and a stork-”

“What’s a stork?”

“A big dorky looking bird with weird legs that brings babies. He’s sensitive about it so he only comes out at night and no one ever sees him. Now do you wanna ask questions or do you want the rest of the story?”

“Babies.”

“Ok so the stork takes the tiny baby thing to its factory and brings it back when it’s finished growing.”

“But ladies have babies.” Sure she’s seen the pregnant ladies around Hilltop but Paul is determined not to let that poke a hole in his story.

“But this is how two daddies have babies.”

“You gotta plant cabbages?”

“Yeah and big sisters usually help.”

She twirls a lock of her hair and then smiles, accepting it as gospel, running off to play. Her fathers share a collective sigh of relief as Paul shoots Aaron a dirty look. 

“I owe you?”

“You’re in for it.”

“Did you just secure child labor for the next planting season?” Aaron has accepted his failure and his fate but he can’t help asking.

“You’re welcome.”


	2. Gracie, protector of the cabbages

Jesus has spent an entire day watching the scene outside of the cabbage patch unfold. It’s harvest season, and Gracie is fiercely protecting the area with a pitchfork just her size.

Carl had fashioned the smaller tools for Gracie and Judith, the blond’s best friend. The latter had been hanging around for a few hours in the morning when she caught wind of this ordeal; the younger Grimes-Dixon was sharp as a whip and her parents had made it through the ‘where do babies come from ordeal’ a little easier than the Rovia family currently was. No doubt Judith thought this was an absolute riot, but had taken her post pretty seriously until the first time Gracie chased a full grown adult away like an angry goose. Now she was on her own. Being a little older than her friend, practically a mature woman, there was only so much silliness Judith could allow herself to take part in.

By the time Aaron notices his boyfriend staring out the window, cackling wildly, he takes a peak for himself and can’t believe the sight of his sweet baby girl viciously protecting what she firmly believed was the possibility of the Christmas gift she’d asked for many months ago- she desperately wanted a baby sister.

Aaron gives Paul a pleading look before he heads off to apologize and explain just what the hell is going on. Most of the residents who have obviously known Paul longer, are aware of what a smartass he can be, and aren’t surprised at all that his bedtime story had snowballed like this. Jesus was usually such a calm, stoic figurehead of the community but he had gotten up to his fair share of shenanigans over the years. Also, it was mostly cute as hell and only a couple of days into harvesting. She wasn’t really doing any harm yet, and Jesus could fix anything.

Paul’s solution of course was to walk out to his daughter and fill in some gaps to the story to help this blow over as quickly as possible. “Sweetheart, the stork only comes when the babies are ripe, early in the harvesting season. He should be all done by tomorrow.”

“You said he only comes out at night because his legs are weird.”

Damn it. “I *did* say that, didn’t I?” Well, he’d said it before, he can only be perfect most of the time. This little oversight? He’s handled worse.

As the sun is going down, she’s still out there, alert and ready to fend off any early harvesters.

“We bringing her in when she conks out or are we camping out there tonight?”

“Camping out.”

Gracie insists both her daddies turn their backs and set up their camp so as to not accidentally see the bird’s weird legs and make him feel self conscious (so cute, her compassion for this body conscious fairy tale). Paul assures her that the stork is very punctual, he’ll finish his job tonight and she makes him promise he’ll take “second watch” if she falls asleep.

The little girl finally does fall asleep, but not before leaving a note for the stork. She leaves it on the gate around the patch so there’s no chance he’ll miss it.

*We promise not to look at your legs. Please pick up our babies. I’m sure your legs are beautiful, you should be more confident.*

To get her to settle, Paul repeats the story of Rapunzel to her. The original, where a starving man steals a witch’s cabbage to feed his pregnant wife. To avenge the theft, the witch steals the baby, naming it Rapunzel, after a type of cabbage. “Why do you think I call you Rapunzel?”

When she’s out, Aaron cuddles up with his family, whispering “that was a loose end I didn’t know you needed to tie up.”

“Devil’s in the details. What can I say, I’m good. The best lies have embellishments.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> credit goes to clairebearhq on tumblr for contributing to this headcanon


End file.
